Irish people more likely to talk to friends online than in person – survey

A small majority of Irish people use social media or instant messengers as their primary way to communicate with friends.

That's according to an annual internet productivity survey of 2,000 people released by the creators of website blocking software Stop Procrastinating.

The report revealed that that 51pc of people in Ireland communicate with their friends more over the internet than in real life, utilising social media outlets like Facebook, or instant messengers such as What’s App. That figure represents a 4pc rise when compared with a year ago.

Worryingly for employers, the survey also found that we are more likely to use the internet to communicate with friends when we are at work than at home. 58pc of those using social media and the internet in this way said they regularly used it to chat at work, admitting that they had become distracted from the duties by it.

In addition, 63pc of people in Ireland say they have been distracted from completing work by checking emails, browsing the web, and engaging with social media – an increase of 6pc from last year.

"The internet is there all the time and we use it for personal reasons at work more often than ever before," said Will Little, designer and creator of Stop Procrastinating.

“As usage of the internet increases so does its presence in every part of our lives at work and at home. We now no longer distinguish between when we should book a holiday, contact a friend or do some personal research."